This chapter is from the book

Ever talk to an insurance claims adjuster? I did as part of my research for
a TV segment on the topic of how to use a PC and scanner to digitize and preserve
family print photos. I wanted to know what people grab on the way out the door
when disaster strikes. He told me that after ensuring their loved ones and
pets were safe, his clients, with very few exceptions, rushed back inside to
retrieve family photo albums and home video tapes as their top priority. Not
jewelry, not computers, and not even clothing took top billing.

In this chapter I'll show you how to use a personal computer, the Internet,
and a scanner to digitize, protect, and preserve your family photo heritage.
After you get a grip on the basics of photo restoration, I'll show you
how to store family photo albums online for safekeeping. And finally we'll
use several creative album-making programs to produce lasting digital heirlooms.

You'll learn how to

Store family digital photos online using a free photo processing service

Digitally spruce up old, faded, or damaged photos

Use multimedia software programs to make animated and music-enhanced digital
photo albums

Explore a variety of digital album output options, including CDs you can
play back on a PC or a DVD player connected to a TV

Use an online service to make professional quality, annotated paperback
or hardcover albums based on your digital snaps

As with the previous chapter, the projects use free trial software downloaded
from the Internet.

If you have a ton of family video tapes at home, stand by. In Chapter 4, "Lights,
Camera, Action!," we'll look at how your home PC can help digitize
and preserve them.

TIP

Here are some tips I learned from the claims adjuster you might
want to consider. First, gather all your family photo albums and videos in
one location in the house you can easily access.

Next, keep a large duffle bag nearby that can be stuffed, on the fly, with
your albums and home video tapes for a quick escape. Keep critical financial
and legal documents in the same location too, and pack a suitcase with a
change of clothes for each family member.

And one last thing, be sure to discuss your evacuation duffle bag scheme
with your insurance representative. Understandably, an insurance claims agent
might suspect arson if everything in a home is destroyed except irreplaceable
items, such as family photos and videos.

Skills and Gear Check

Before you jump into the projects, take a quick look below at the list of
assumptions I’m making about your skills and gear.

Key assumptions:

You have a high-speed DSL or cable link to the Internet. You will be
uploading numerous photos using the Internet and downloading large program
files, as you did in Chapter 2, "Get Creative with Digital Pictures." A
dial-up connection will be too frustrating and unreliable.

You own a digital scanner and you know how to scan a print photo (if not,
see Chapter 2).